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Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Our new AD sure does "get it". So he's saying the right things. Now we'll just have to find wait and see if he does the right things too. How about these for quotes:

On winning, quite a different take from Dave Braine:

"I expect to win every game," he said during an interview, relaxing in the office that is still a work in progress. "I don't think we can ask a student-athlete to compete on the court or on the field without expecting to be successful. We want our coaches to play within the rules, graduate their student-athletes and compete at the highest level every week. If they do those three things, we're going to be successful."

On Dave Braine's comment that Tech is one of the toughest jobs in the nation:

"I don't think that next to the service academies we're one of the tougher jobs in the country," he said. "Do we have the resources? Yes. Do we have the population base? Yes. Do we have a supportive, affluent alumni base? Yeah, we've got that. I can tick off plenty of schools that don't have that."

On beating UGA:

"I want to beat Georgia as much as the next guy -- and more," Radakovich said. "But I really want to win championships. We can't win championships just by beating Georgia. That's real important."

And on Tech's success vs UGAg:

"We've won a national championship in football more recently than Georgia. We've been to the Final Four in men's basketball more recently than Georgia," Radakovich said. "I like to look at the glass as half full rather than half empty."

Two key rule changes - one in football and one in hoops. Football coaches now have a challenge flag, a la the NFL. In hoops, in an effort to shut up Dick Vitale, players can no longer call a timeout while airborne and headed out of bounds. Good move if you ask me. For me, next should be to get rid of the possesion arrow and go back to good old jump balls.

Congrats to our boy Steven Blackwood for making the Academic All-American Team (by ESPN). Look up the definition of student-athlete in the dictionary, and you just might find his picture there. Congrats!!!

Monday, May 29, 2006

For the fourth year in a row, the Georgia Tech baseball team has a National seed. This means that hopefully the road to Omaha will have to go through Atlanta. The Jackets will face Stetson in Game 1 on Friday in Atlanta starting at 7pm. The Jackets, who finished 45-16 will face Stetson who finished the season at 38-22. Also in the Atlanta Bracket will be Michigan, and Vanderbilt. If Tech makes it through the bracket, they will face either Kentucky, Ball State, Notre Dame, or the College Of Charleston in the Super Regionals. Tech will play in Atlanta as it continues to advance all the way to Omaha. Tech Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich was ecstatic about the efforts of the team, and encourages all of the fans in Atlanta to come out and support the boys.

We're really thrilled to be hosting a regional at Russ Chandler Stadium for the fifth straight year," said Tech Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich. "Danny Hall's team has played very well despite some key injuries, and they should be very proud of earning a national seed and the home field advantage that comes with it.

"I encourage all Georgia Tech fans to come out and support the Yellow Jackets in what will be a great weekend of college baseball. We're fortunate to be one of only two schools in the nation to host a regional the last five years, and we want to be able to continue to host year in and year out. Our crowds have been very good all year, and we need to fill up Russ Chandler Stadium, starting Friday."

I know this is off subject with GT sports, but i wanted to share this with you guys. It's a feel good story about what athletes probably go through. You need to watch the whole video with Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki. How many athletes are as courteous as this guy? How many athletes can you think of that would have handled this so professionally? Barry Bonds? uhhh, dont think so. Watch, and i think you'll like Dirk. What a guy Go Jackets!

Did Clemson really just score 10 runs in the 9th inning? The game was tied at 6 as Tech scored 2 in the bottom of the eighth to tie it. It was almost a replay of the earlier game where Tech rallied, but this time fell short. Well, the Jackets didnt go down without a fight, they came back with 5 runs of their own in the bottom of the ninth. Nice rally by Tech, showed alot of heart. It's not easy to take 2 from the hottest team in the nation in Clemson. I really believe all in all, GT is ready to take a shot at Omaha this year. Good Luck guys!

Saturday, May 27, 2006

The Jackets score two in the bottom of the 9th to send the game to extra innings, then they won in extras 8-7 versus Clemson. What does that get them? The right to play Clemson again tonight. Stay tuned.............

Friday, May 26, 2006

The Jackets took care of Miami tonight in the ACC elimination game winning 7-4. Man, if we havent just owned Miami the past week! I'll have more on this later, but GT has to beat Clemson twice tommorrow in order to get to the championship game. The game starts at 1pm and will be televised on CSTV. Go Jackets!

Well, the diamond Jackets made us proud last night. Yes, they lost 3-2, but they forced the hottest team in the country to beat us in the bottom of the 9th with a walk-off hit. Another strong pitching performance, which really bodes well for the potentially sweeter rewards that lie ahead after the ACC Tourney. Jackets face Miami again tonight.

Issue #2 from D-Rad. I have to say he's off to a great start as AD, at least from a PR standpoint.

The Good Word with Dan Radakovich Issue No. 2

May 24, 2006

TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics

FROM: Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics

To start things off, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to the first edition of "The Good Word." We had nearly 100 responses within the first few days, and I want to assure everyone that I personally read each one. As will be the pattern after each edition, I will read all the responses, and in some cases, I or another GTAA staff member will respond to answer specific concerns or questions. The best thing about the feedback is that I will utilize some of the suggestions as "discussion starters" with key members of the staff. Your feedback is very helpful so that we do not take our eyes off the ball in relating to issues that are important to you. We will have several work sessions during the summer where I will reference ideas or suggestions that have been brought to my attention via your responses.

I'm happy to share with you some information regarding football ticket sales for the upcoming season. Sales and marketing initiatives have progressed very well, and with 100 days until the opener against Notre Dame, we have already exceeded our season ticket sales for all of last season. My thanks to all of you who have purchased tickets this season. Additionally, our club seats are nearly 85 percent sold. That is nearly double the total from this time last year. Rest assured our job is not yet complete, and good seats still remain, so please contact our ticket office if you wish to purchase season tickets for what promises to be an exciting season.

Last week I attended my first Atlantic Coast Conference spring meetings, which were held near Jacksonville, Fla. These annual sessions are an opportunity for athletics directors, faculty representatives, head coaches and administrators to meet with each other and with ACC Commissioner John Swofford as well as with key constituents such as bowl representatives and television partners.

One of the issues discussed was the ACC's bowl selection procedure. We are seeking the best formula to ensure that the selection process will reflect and reward what our student-athletes accomplish on the field while still maintaining some needed flexibility for our bowl partners.

As you may have read last week, we voted on future sites for the ACC men's and women's basketball and baseball tournaments. The exciting news for Georgia Tech fans is that the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament was awarded to the Georgia Dome for 2012; the event is already scheduled for Atlanta in 2009.

In addition, Greg Shaheen of the NCAA staff met with the league's men's basketball coaches, who were able to discuss their concerns about the NCAA Tournament selection process.

We had extensive discussions with our television partners: ABC/ESPN, which are the ACC's primary football partners along with Lincoln Financial Services (formerly Jefferson-Pilot); FOX, which airs the highly successful ACC Sunday Night Hoops and takes over the BCS rights; and CBS, which continues to air the NCAA basketball tournament. These conversations also touched on new media methods that are exciting and will continue to place the ACC at the forefront of technology and fan friendliness.

Lastly, regarding the announcement last week by the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee, while the ruling was not exactly what we had hoped for, we are all ready to put this behind us and move forward.

We're confident that the Institute and the Athletic Association now have the structures, procedures and personnel in place to effectively manage this process. In particular, the addition of experienced staff members in the positions of Director of Compliance (Paul Parker) and Associate Director of Athletics for Academic Services (Phyllis LaBaw) have fortified our operations. Georgia Tech has a tradition of integrity and academic excellence that we are committed to upholding and enhancing.

While I cannot guarantee a personal response to every email that we receive, please know that they will all be read, so I do encourage your participation in this process. Some of your questions could become topics for future issues of The Good Word.

I also encourage you to share this letter with any Tech fan who may not have access to the Internet. Our goal is to inform and engage as many Yellow Jacket supporters as we possibly can.

I want to personally thank you for your continued support of Georgia Tech Athletics as we move forward with our vision for excellence.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Top 40 Guard Jeff Jones (class of 2007) has decommitted from Maryland's hoops program and is back on the market, citing relationship issues since the departure of assistant coach Rob Moxley (to Charlotte). Prior to his committment to Gary Williams, he was considering Georgia Tech, UVA, UNC, NCST and some Big East teams.

So Georgia Tech recruitniks are asking - is GT in the running? Are they interested? Not sure I have the answer, but here are some thoughts:

1. Tech is looking to fill only one more slot for the class of 2007 to go with Gani Lawall and Lance Storrs

2. They were looking for a Point Guard to fill that slot as the heir apparent to Javaris Crittenton, particularly if he leaves after one season. Ideally, JC stays at least 2 seasons, and the next guy in line gets groomed for at least one season without having to run the team as a starter.

3. If Jones is considered by the staff to be a pure Scoring Guard, then I doubt they make a run at him. With Storrs on board, they have a solid 4-year "glue guy" who does a lot of little things. Jones is considered more of an impact player, but Storrs is the proverbial "bird in the hand" right now. He's on board and we're on board with him. If Jones is a pure SG, my guess is - he snoozed, he loses.

4. If Jones is considered by the staff to be a legitimate Point Guard option, then I see them taking a serious run for a committment. He would basically be vying with guys like Mo Miller, Tyrel Reed, Chris Wright and Jamelle McMillan.

5. One interesting note - Thaddeus Young, Javaris Crittenton AND Jeff Jones will be playing together at the Junior World Championship in Douai, France June 8-11 - link here... Nike Team USA will include TY / JC (GT), Marcus Williams (AZ), Brook / Robin Lopez (Stanford 7 foot twins), Nic Wise (FL), Chase Budinger (AZ), Samardo Samuels (high school), Vernon Macklin (Georgetown). I know the website does not list Jones, but the team has added Jones and Nick Calathes (FL) to increase perimeter depth and flexibility. I'm not sure exactly what that will mean in this, but it's interesting for sure...... Here's another link with the updated roster...

6. Many Maryland fans seem to think that GT is the front-runner for Jones, for whatever that is worth - probably not much.

7. Lastly, there is a lot of chatter on the 'net about his father's involvement in his recruiting and pulling the strings in the process. Who knows if it's similar to a Zam situation, but just thought I would point this out. Of course this is nothing but speculation, so now you can disregard it.

VIKINGS' VICTORY: A year after Miami High was the county's basketball capitol, the scene shifted to Norland where the Vikings' girls -- led by UM-bound Eboni Sadler -- finished as the state runner-up and the boys' -- led by Zachery Peacock, Dade's 6A-4A Male Athlete of the Year -- won it all.

Peacock, a Georgia Tech signee, proved he was Dade's best basketball player went it counted most. With Norland and district rival Krop in the midst of a season-long battle, Peacock swung the momentum in the regional finals -- and the teams' fifth meeting. Then at state, the 6-8 forward put the defensive-minded Vikings on his back and upset top-ranked Winter Park in the state final en route to MVP honors.

Great report on Wes Durham's appearance at the Lunch Bunch. Note key marketing changes to help with recruiting - including a change in format for the TV show and running it at midnight on Friday's (after high school games are over), the change in the radio show, etc. ............

Very nice article about Gailey at the Macon Touchdown Club meeting. Note that in attendence was Georgia Tech recruit Correy Earls, and check out the wink-and-nod to Earls when discussing Calvin Johnson:

'Like I don't realize that he's the best player in the whole Southeast,' Gailey said. 'I'm trying to get the ball just as hard ... to him, I can promise you that.'But between protection, coverage, double and triple teams, and proper offensive reads, it's not as easy as just throwing it to him. And Johnson isn't the type to use too much on reverses.

'He's not a reverse runner,' Gailey explained. 'He's not a guy you can put in the backfield or get the ball in his hands in other ways, like maybe another person in this room. You can do that with him, whoever that might be.'

And he nodded with a smile at Earls, sitting with Central head coach Anthony Hines and Chargers assistants and a couple teammates.

Monday, May 22, 2006

81. QB Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech – Hey, stranger things have happened. Ball’s been one of the nation’s least consistent quarterbacks the last three years, throwing too many picks and giving up too many sacks, but strides were made, and as long as Calvin Johnson is healthy, the potential is there for solid senior year.

One of the top performances in the meet came in throws with Greenbrier Christian Academy senior Trevor Bray throwing for a personal best mark of 56 feet to win the shot put competition by a dominant margin of nearly five feet.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Jarvis Jones, who played with Thaddeus Young at Mitchell High School in Memphis has added Georgia Tech to his list of 4 schools that he will choose from. Memphis is starting to become a GT hotbed with Paul Hewitt. Jones played last week in the Wallace Prather Memorial Classic at Georgia Tech. Jones poured in 42 points in one game which included 11 three-pointers (WOW!). He has already visited Georgia Tech with Thaddeus Young last season, and he loves Atlanta. Jones said Georgia Tech is "HIGH" on his list.

"When nobody else was recruiting me, they were," Jones said. "They got in first. I want a good education and good surroundings."

Jones lists his four schools as Georgia Tech, Illinois, Florida, and Tennessee

It's not finalized yet, but appears that MTSU will play Georgia Tech in ATL in 2010 and 2012, while we will go on the road to play them in 2011. Funny how these scheduling things typically work - it's ties and relationships. Who knows who. In this case our new AD worked with the MTSU AD while they were collegues at South Carolina. Dig deep enough and you'll always find some personal tie, and usually you don't have to go too far.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

The NCAA announced today that the Georgia Tech football team would not have to forfeit games from a six year span, as originally thought. The bad news, is that GT still will not be able to recoup the scholarships that were lost as a result. All in all Wayne Clough was pleased with the result.

"We take certification of athletic eligibility seriously and have strengthened the system to help ensure that we are fully compliant in the future," Clough said in a statement released by the school.

"Additionally, we are particularly appreciative that the committee determined that the football team's records should stand. I am personally pleased that we are now able to close this issue and put it behind us."

The NCAA accepted Tech's self-imposed reductions of 3.90 scholarships in men's track and field and two scholarships in women's track and field for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years.

A violation also was found in the women's swimming program, but the swimmer involved was not on scholarship, so that program was not penalized with a scholarship reduction.Also, GT's 1998 ACC Championship stands, so they can keep the rings.There were no TV or bowl restrictions placed on the football program. Like Wayne said we should be happy it's all behind us now, and we can still play football.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Looks like the Ish will sign a contract for the 2006-2007 ABA season with the Knoxville Noise of the ABA. It also looks like Gavin Raiteri, CEO and co-owner of the team is pretty excited about signing Muhammad.

"We're thrilled to have a player of his caliber coming to this city and this team. He's going to bring an exciting above-the-rim style of basketball to the city. It's going to be something the fans will not want to miss."

And look who else is going to Join Muhammad on the team

Coming to Noise tryouts along with Isma'il will be his former Yellow Jacket teammate, Theodis Tarver, as well as his older brother Aleem Muhammad. Tarver is a 6'9" center who will bring some size and power to the Knoxville Noise. He is an outstanding shot blocker and an excellent post defender. He was a member of the 2003-2004 Georgia Tech squad that reached the Final Four in the NCAA tournament.

If you read the article, the nice thing about all of this is that two members of the Knoxville Noise family, team President Ashley Raiteri and his father Mark Raiteri are former Yellow Jackets themselves. They are pretty excited about bringing Muhammad and Tarver along.

"I'm so excited to have these talented players possibly playing for the Noise. I've been following Georgia Tech basketball for years and knowing that they might be coming to play for my team is just amazing."

Al-Farouq Aminu , one of the best players in the state of Georgia has announced his final 6 schools from which he will choose from. The great news here is that Georgia, who was one of the schools that Aminu was high on, apparently has been eliminated. Aminu's final six schools are Clemson, Tenn, UCONN, Georgia Tech, Florida, and Wake Forest. Some more good news is that Aminu is great friends with Tech signee Gani Lawal. If you had to ask me what way the younger Aminu is leaning with the top six, well just read what he had to say. Still 2 years away, but good news anyway.

"I see them everyday(GT). I like how they play and the way get up and down," Aminu said. "It might give them an edge over some other schools. I might know more about (Georgia Tech) than other ones. But I want to get out and see the other schools too."

Maurice Miller should announce his college decision soon as well. Looks like Tech will have Gani Lawal, Lance Storrs, and is a strong contender for "Mo" Miller to round out the class of 2007. Houston's Deandre Jordan a 6-11 center also had listed GT high on his list. The problem with Jordan though, is that he may not fit in academically. Correction: Aminu is in the Class of 2008.

We reported it unofficially a number of weeks back. Now it's official, only better. Not only will Georgia Tech be playing Notre Dame in primetime on a national television audience in Atlanta on the opening weekend of the 2006 college football season - the game will be televised by ABC and ESPN's college gameday crew will be setup on campus all day.

So let's review

- Opening weekend of college football season - Sept 2- Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame- in Atlanta- 8:00 pm game- national television audience- ABC Primetime- ESPN College Game day crew on campus all day

Monday, May 15, 2006

Sad but well done article on Gerris Wilkinson on his first Mother's Day since the passing of his mom.

"We never really knew how serious it was," said Wilkinson, who spent his final season working on a second degree, in International Affairs. "She came to my first game in mid-September, and then she went back to California. And that's when she really started to go down."

The sad phone call came as a surprise, but Wilkinson played, anyway. He made six tackles and helped hold the Hurricanes to 30 yards rushing, 237 total yards, and a 1-for-14 third-down conversion rate.

The game, he said, was actually the easiest part of the week. He blocked everything out and just played football.

"People always say that's what she would have wanted me to do. And my family gave me their blessing to do it," Wilkinson said.

"It wasn't hard. It was kind of an inspiration. And it just let me go out there and get my mind off it, too."

That performance became a big reason the Giants drafted him in the third round.

...back in the ATL getting his degree - that's where. It is incredibly rewarding to read articles like the one below. For me having high character kids should be goal #1 - then the talent. In Jarrett, we were able to enjoy 3 years of both and now he's making good on year 4 so he can walk the walk and tell people he's a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Jarrett - you da man!!!!

Dan Radakovich makes one of the most important decisions an AD can make - hiring head coaches. He has elected to extend our ladies hoops' coach MaChelle Joseph's contract for another 3 years. Congrats MJ!!! Now it time to turn those recruiting successess off the court into stronger success on the court. We're with you.

The ACC cronies are celebrating and whooping it up at their spring meeting. The ACC dominated the NFL draft with more selections than any other conference - ever, more 1st round picks than anyone - ever, more defensive picks than anyone - ever. Throw in the fact that the ACC had the highest TV ratings of ANY conference last year according to ESPN, and you have quite a story brewing - at least for football. The hoops coaches didn't have quite the same story to tell, but just wait until this season - the ACC will be back - well, at least where Jacket fans hope it will be.

Nice article on Eric Henderson. There is no doubt that EVERY Jacket fan wishes huge success for this young man. He's dealt with more in his young life than most in a lifetime. EH - all the best. GO JACKETS!!!

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Ok - I get it now Coach Charlton Young - maybe you were playing the "game". Turns out you are not going to interview for the Tennessee job but you did have a conversation with Bruce Pearl and it comes at a time when you are re-negotiating your contract with Jackets. Got it now. It's all clear.

Now, how do I feel about that? I mean, if it's good enough for Rick Barnes and John Calipari it's good enough for you, right? There are a LONG list of coaches that have used interest from another school to get a salary bump. I guess that's free market economics in the true sense, right? For me I'm not so sure I would go find a suitor ONLY to get a salary bump, although if I was interested in testing the market for my services and that was an outcome, so be it............ So you're out of the doghouse from my perspective. Glad you really are a Jacket. I liked what you brought from day 1 and glad you're still on board. I hope it is a long-term wish to stay with one program for awhile.

Right Click here to listen or download the Rivals.com Radio interview with Chan Gailey. Good interview overall. Some notes:

- Patrick Nix taking over playcalling has been in the works for a long time. Just a matter of time and seemed like a great time to do it. Great players returning and great ideas for our offense.- I have to make a clean break. Can't do it in increments.- Calvin Johnson is the best size / speed / hand-eye coordination guy he's ever coached - best he's every been around. He stills needs more experience like everyone but that's just time. The sky's the limit for him. The challenge is getting a great WR the ball. It's a lot harder to get a great WR the ball than it is a great RB or a great QB. Rest assured we're doing everything we can do to get him the ball- on spread offense -- on defense - challenge is secondary - only one returning starter. Front 7, if healthy, will be as good as we've ever been at Tech. But secondary will require guys to step up and fill some holes.- on contract extension. You just can't recruit without long term stability. If "I" was a kid I would look at it.

The elder Fredrick says his son didn't seem a good fit with Georgia Tech. "Instead of fighting through it for four years and not really enjoy yourself, you make a change," he said. "Now, he can seek the peace and happiness he deserves."

If that is truly what Buck wants then I am happy that this worked out for him. I can only hope that the last chapter in this story is a good one for Zam. It's too bad he didn't find his niche at Georgia Tech, but that doesn't make him a bad guy. Zam, all the best - good luck......... until "we" meet again.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Well, Georgia Tech's new AD Dan Radakovich has started the first in a series of fireside chats he cleverly calls "The Good Word with Dan Radakovich". Have to give some props for that. Anyhow, here is the full message from D-Rad:

The Good Word with Dan RadakovichMessage from the Director of AthleticsMay 9, 2006

I'm excited to launch this series of letters to you, our supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics, to outline our vision for excellence for your athletics program. "The Good Word" will deliver to you regular updates on the issues facing our athletics program as well as provide a forum for feedback and discussion on topics that are important to you.

Our vision is simple but challenging: to position Georgia Tech to be one of the top athletics programs in the nation - year in and year out - for the next quarter of a century.

Let me begin this first letter by telling you a few things that are important for our future.

First, Georgia Tech needs to alter the way business is conducted in the Athletic Association. We must become more transparent in our dealings and more cognizant of the needs of our customers.

Second, we must grow our customer base. Our location in the city of Atlanta provides tremendous marketing opportunities, but we must provide value for the competitive entertainment dollar. We must make each customer feel that no matter the outcome of the contest they have attended, they made a wise choice by attending a Tech event.

Third, we must value our product. College athletics has grown into a very large industry, one that requires a substantial revenue stream each and every year. In subsequent writings, I will detail more about our financial status, both present and future, and how we may need to alter our current business practices to achieve a level of financial stability.

Over my first six weeks on the job, I have met with many Tech alums and supporters. One message has come through loud and clear: There is a deep passion for the Institute and a great sense of philanthropy. We must continue to capitalize on that generosity and grow it to constituents who may reside outside the current Tech family. We need to announce that there is room on the Ramblin' Wreck for everyone.

In the coming months, through this correspondence, I will continue to paint a detailed picture of the state of Georgia Tech Athletics so that you can have a better understanding of our goals and plans.

We have some very important decisions to make in the near future. We want you to play a role in the future success of Tech Athletics, so we welcome your feedback at goodword@athletics.gatech.edu

While I cannot guarantee a personal response to every email that we receive, please know that they will all be read, so I do encourage your participation in this process. Some of your questions could become topics for future issues of the The Good Word.

I also encourage you to share this letter with any Tech fan who may not have access to the Internet. Our goal is to inform and engage as many Yellow Jacket supporters as we possibly can.

I want to personally thank you for your continued support of Georgia Tech Athletics as we move forward with our vision for excellence.

Coach Gailey and crew land verbal committment #3 with Johnson County High School linebacker Brad Jefferson. He's a 6'2" 205lb standout who also excels at track, starring in the 110m hurdles. He clocked a 4.6 in the 40and benches 355lb. He also had offers from Clemson, Duke, Florida and Maryland - a strong ACC flavor.

Seems like yet another very good committment and another strong get in the state. A nice combination of strength and speed......... and the staff's renued focus in state seems to be paying off. GO JACKETS!!!!!!!

Sorry, I don't get it. Only last month, Young had this to say when it was rumored he was in the running:

Georgia Tech assistant Charlton Young, who spent seven years on Cliff Ellis' Auburn staff and was associate head coach at UT-Chattanooga under Jeff Lebo in 2004-05, laughed off the notion that he was interested in the opening.

Coach Young, please explain to Jacket fans what has changed. Please explain why you lied last month and said that you're "a Georgia Tech guy" all the way. Please explain to Jacket fans what the motivation is for you to go from an assistant in the top conference in the nation to an assistant in the SEC? If there is some hometown motivation or Bruce Pearl is an old mentor of yours, ok. Just let us know why you are interested in leaving with such an outstanding recruiting class coming in. Why have you bounced around so much during your coaching career and now want to do it again? I'm only saying these things because many fans like what you've brought to the team, both in recruiting and instruction. But ok, if you want out, we wish you the best. We just don't understand. What aren't you finding for yourself here in ATL that you think you're going to get elsewhere. I just hope there's not "more to this story", as Paul Harvey would say........

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Funny thing about expectations. Last year we all expected a drop-off in results, and that's what we got. However, I don't think anyone anticipated the drop that occurred. Now expectations are going 180 degrees the other direction. The irony - one of the reasons for the positive expectations is the return of mostly the same crew that sent us to the near bottom of the ACC. Yes, everyone recognizes the potential impact of Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young and possibly the savior of the universe - Muha......... However, what it reallys says is that people recognize the existing talent coming back. The key to our success really falls on their development, as they are the foundation of the program - guys like Dickey, Smith, Morrow, Clinch, Bell, Aminu, West, etc.

Coach Hewitt is doing a great job building a sold recruiting base in the state of GA. That continues as GT will host the 1st Annual Wallace Prather Memorial AAU Classic. Almost every GA AAU team will be there. This from RamblinRed over at theHive:

Both Lawal and Storrs will be there with the GA Stars Under 17 squad. Mo Millerwill be here with Team Memphis. Thompkins and Singleton will be playing onCeltics under-16 squads. Some other 2008 and 2009 targets that will be on campusinclude Xavier Gibson, Derrick Favors, Carter McMasters, Romero Osby, LanceStephenson. There will also be other ACC signees here - particularly from the DCAssualt squad.Here is the schedule http://www.atlantaceltics.com/ced/Tournament%20Schedule.pdf

Good article on what's happening with former Tech hoops players and their status getting a degree. No word on Jack, Bynum or Bosh in terms of progress towards a degree, but Elder, Schenscher and McHenry are all enrolled for classes this summer. Way to go guys!!

The rumors were correct - QB Calvin Booker is headed to Georgia Tech. At minimum this gives us another live arm to compete for the job after Reggie Ball's eligibility is done after this season. Welcome aboard Calvin............ GO JACKETS!!!

Monday, May 08, 2006

All you recruit-niks take note - a Michigan blogger has taken on Rivals.com in determining how well they really did picking the top 100 football recruits of 2002. Their conclusion - they did pretty darn well. They completed the top 50 and the next 50 will be posted later.......... Check it out.

Having read that, it just confirms my overall conclusion - the challenge is NOT ranking the top 100, it's the next 300 that are the challenge. What would be REALLY interesting is to see how Rivals.com and Scout.com did after you passed the top 100, because that's where they really should be judged. Everybody follows the top kids, and you can bet a 5-star kid has a pretty good chance of being successful at the D-I level. Take Calvin Johnson - 5-stars - good call. Duhhh. .............. However, start getting into the 2-4 star kids and it's a real crap shoot. That is where college coaches really earn their money - talent evaluation of the kids NOT at the top. Because do you think for a second that Rivals.com and Scout.com can really evaluate 500+ kids fairly with their small staff of people? No way.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

The Georgia Tech baseball team sweeps South Florida this weekend. Outside the ACC the Jackets are one tough team. A very good performance against a pretty good South Florida baseball team. The 10th ranked Jackets improve to 36-12 on the season, and should move up in the rankings this week. Go Jackets!

Andy Hawranick drove in two runs and John Goodman went five innings in his first college start to lead Georgia Tech to a 4-3 victory Saturday night and a sweep of a doubleheader with South Florida.

The Yellow Jackets (36-12) won the afternoon opener 7-2 as freshman David Duncan allowed one unearned run in eight innings and Jeff Kindel had three hits, including a home run.

The victories over USF (20-28) improved the Yellow Jackets record to 22-2 against teams outside the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Match-ups have been announced and the Jackets will face Penn St......... The worst news of all this - our game will be televised on ESPN-U, which means virtually nobody will see it. Guess that's what we get for stinking up the court last season.......... No doubt the marquee match-up will be UNC / Ohio State, with both teams bringing in the top 2 recruiting classes in the nation and buckets of talent.

2006 Challenge highlights:Challenge Rematch: College basketball tradition-rich programs Duke and Indiana will meet for the second consecutive year Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 9 p.m. on ESPN. The Hoosiers rank third all-time with five national titles, while the Blue Devils rank fifth with three. Duke, the only team to go undefeated in the Challenge at 7-0, won last year's game 75-67.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

It's sad to relegate Zam to the "where are they now" segment, but there really are questions about where he might end up. South Carolina just accepted the transfer of PG Devan Downey from Cincy and that raises huge scholarship availability questions for Buck. Looks like he might need to head to a good mid-major program or let dear ole dad pay for his education and let him be a walk-on at USC. Could happen.

Chris Singleton, one of the top prospects in the state of GA for the class of 2008 has narrowed his list to 4 schools, and Georgia Tech is on that list. Singleton is a 6'8" guy with a wingspan like a condor. The 2008 class out of Georgia will be interesting because there are at least 3 guys all in the 6'7" - 6'9" range (Singleton, Howard Thompkins and Al-Farouq Aminu, Alade's "little" bro) that all have the Jackets high on their list. Thompkins is ranked as the top guy in the state by Rivals, with Singleton at #3 and Aminu #7. Should be interesting......

Rivals.com and their panel of experts has the Jackets tied with UConn at #14 in their pre-season hoops poll. Obviously the addition of JC and TY makes a difference:

14t. Georgia Tech (40) 11-17 Could the Jackets go from one of the worst teams in the ACC to one of the best? The addition of two top-10 recruits, Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young, made believers out of our panel.

RAVENS: You bet I like drafts that lead off with two big guys, DT Haloti Ngata 338 pounds, and they say he still has some growing to do (Did I ever tell you why I really like King Kong? Because there's a guy who won't take any guff from the airlines), and Chris Chester, an athletic center who pulls out and leads plays. The sleeper light is flashing -- P.J. Daniels, a gusty little former walk-on RB who you might say would give Jamal Lewis a run for it if you were foolish enough to believe that these competitions are anything close to being fair.

Interesting article about NCST's hoops head coaching search as it relates to finding a mid-major guy ready to breakout - a la Paul Hewitt and even Bobby Cremins. Note the backgrounds of the current ACC coaches:

Monday, May 01, 2006

Aside from Gerris Wilkinson, Dawan Landry and PJ Daniels getting drafted, four other Jackets signed free agent deals - Chris Reis - Falcons, Damarious Bilbo - Cardinals, Eric Henderson - Bengals, Gavin Tarquinio - Falcons. Congrats to all!!!........... Am I the only one that didn't realize that Danny Payne led the diamond Jackets in batting avg, hits, runs, home runs, total bases, slugging % and stolen bases? ............... Back to football - is this our QB of the future - Josh Nesbitt?................. Back to hoops - evidently the vast majority of Portland Trailblazer fans really like Jarrett Jack and don't want to see him traded.......